Gluten-Free Beer (and a pizza crust recipe)

After five years of living strictly gluten-free, I can honestly tell you, Dear Reader, there are very few things I still miss from my pre-celiac diagnosis. From melty chocolate brownies to delicious gluten-free bread, I've managed to recreate and reinvent many old favorites.

But there is an archetypal pairing I do, indeed, miss. It's a simple want. Nothing fancy. And it's not some precious, tiny cuisine perched on a plate with a few stingy drips of - insert latest food infusion fad - trying to pass as art. Nope.

It's pizza and beer. A slice with a cold one. That's what I want. That's what I miss.

Well, guess what? One half of my burning desire has been quenched and this humble gluten-free goddess couldn't be happier. I am pleased as proverbial punch to report on the new sorghum lager now available from Anheuser-Busch, called Redbridge - Babycakes, it is beer-tastic! I had my doubts, I'll admit (being part Irish, who can blame me?), but when I read about Redbridge beer over at the NFCA website, the photograph alone made my mouth water. Come to Mama! I had to find some. I looked everywhere, but no store in Santa Fe carried it. Bummer.

Imagine my delight - when visiting our son, Colin, in Los Angeles - I stumbled upon a six pack of Redbridge happily chilling away amongst dozens of off-limits brewskys in an LA Whole Foods. Dude. I was stoked.

Later that very night I rustled up some easy - but tasty! - nachos and cracked open my first beer in five years. It did not disappoint. It did not taste “gluten-free”. In fact, when Colin - who is not celiac, or gluten-free - knocked back his first sip, he declared, “This tastes just like beer. Just like the real thing.” And I, ever the U2 fan that I am in my part-Irish bones, answered, “Even better than the real thing”.

Over at my cool and chic gluten-free home girls' blog aka The Celiac Chicks, I learned the proper way to pour a Redbridge. Pour the beer into a glass so that it smacks the bottom of the glass. This releases carbonation and produces a perfect foamy head. I did this last night, and, indeed, it does! (Thanks, Kelly!)

Next? Now that the Santa Fe Whole Foods is finally carrying Redbridge in their beer section, I gotta create that perfect gluten-free pizza crust recipe to go with it. And now that I have the beer, Dear Reader, it’s cake.

Here is the recipe I'm going to try - sent in by Lydia. The good news is - it is egg and dairy free.

Lydia's Gluten-Free Pizza Dough

Karina, here is my recipe for GF pizza crust. If you're not crazy about xanthan gum, perhaps you could use guar gum, or one egg white instead. I think it tastes like the crusts of old I used to eat, and I've only had compliments from gluten-eaters.

59 comments:

Karina, here is my recipe for GF pizza crust. I know you're not crazy about xantham gum, so perhaps you could use guar gum, or one egg white instead. I think it tastes like the crusts of old I used to eat, and I've only had compliments from gluten-eaters.

Mix dough by hand for 2-3 minutes. Let rest as you oil a pan, and sprinkle cornmeal on top of pan to prevent dough from sticking. Drop dough on pan, with either wet hands or oiled hands, spread the dough out on the pan. It’s up to you how thin you want your dough. This usually covers a 10 x 13 inch baking pan, but when thicker it has a crispy crust and a soft inside.Leaving dough on top of stove, heat oven to 400/425 (my oven only goes to 400, but if I could I would set it at 425). I like to pre-bake my crust for 10-15 minutes before adding sauce and cheese just to be sure that the crust is done when the cheese has melted.

*I mix my own GF flour, made up of 3 parts white rice flour, 3 parts brown rice flour, 2 parts potato starch, 1 part tapioca flour. If you use a pre-made mix, I would recommend not using one with leavening (baking soda and/or powder).

I am horribly jealous, because I haven't found Red bridge in my area yet. Have you tried the other GF beers like Bard's tale etc? How does it compare? The others all had a bitter aftertaste, to my mind, so I couldn't quite get into drinking them... Still, I'm very excited to try it someday...

AH, beer. There is a pizza place here in Kansas City that makes gluten free pizza to DIE for, and they sell Redbridge beer as well! I am pregnant, so I haven't been able to indulge my pizza with beer fantasy yet but this time next year, I am there!! So glad to hear it is good. I have tried Dragon's Gold and it is not bad, but not quite the qualtiy I was used to. I have yet to try New Grist.

Karina, I think that we must share some sort of cosmic gluten free spirit. I the past when people have asked me what I missed the most about not being able to each gluten, it's not the French bread, it's not the enormous sandwich bread, it's beer and pizza!

I discovered Redbridge around Christmas time and it's a little embarrassing how much of it I consumed right at the beginning (I'm not a big drinker but deprivation makes people do strange things) Anyway, I usually have mine with the plain cheese pizza from Amy's, that crust is lovely and thin but I can't wait to try your recipe. Cheers!

I'm so glad you had a chance to try it. My thing is that I go to folk music festivals all summer, camping with my hippie friends, drinking copious amounts of cold beer. This was going to be the first summer I had to abstain and I was really worried. But I found some Red Bridge and took it to a song swap recently. A little crowd gathered around as I cracked my first one open ... watching my face for a reaction. And I burst into a smile and said "I can do this. This is GOOD!" and they all applauded. Happy that I had found a solution to this dilemna. As it is, the cook who travels with us has modified his meals to gluten free, for me, but he'd also been my biggest supplier of porter and stouts ;)

I did find Red Bridge had a strange after taste, but only after I stopped drinking. I'm a dark beer drinker, hoping that Anheuser Busch, with such great success as Red Bridge, will keep going and create something that has the kind of body that a good porter has. We'll see! I'm a happy girl already.

I had not found ANY GF beer here until I found the Redbridge at Whole Foods in Santa Fe [so I have nothing to compare it to, except my memory of gluten beer from six years ago]. I hope you find some soon!

Larc - What a fun idea! :-)

Hi Elizabeth - First, congrats! And second, how fun to have a local gluten-free pizza place. Soon it will be more common. With almost three million people yet to be diagnosed, there's a pretty darn good chance we're going to see a lot more empathy [and culinary opportunities] for gluten-free folks.

Hi Gilly! Thanks so much. It was sure fun.

Heya Kleja! We must - absolutely.

;-)

Hi Country Mouse!

What a fab story. I love it. And I agree - a gluten-free stout would make my year. I miss Guinness! :-(

Hiya ChrisD! No, I have not tried any of the Namaste mixes. I saw some last week at The Vitamin Cottage in Santa Fe. Maybe I'll try the pizza crust mix.

Hi again, there is a darker more stout beer out there called 'Toleration'. Our local grocer imports it from England. It's drinkable but very sweet since the alcohol and fermentation is all achieved with sugars. It comes in pint size so you might need someone to share it with and it's a little on the expensive side compared to Redbridge.

I haven't tried the Redbridge, but our Whole Foods Market has had Grist Mill Sorghum (G-F) beer for about a year and it's wonderful, too. My sons even like it!

What's more, we have a market here in Ann Arbor that makes a terrific G-F pizza. When I pick it up, I rush it home as it's best piping hot. Fresh pizza and beer-yum! I hope you can find pizza to go with your beer someday soon.

I was sooooo excited when I came upon Redbridge in my Whole foods. Couldn't wait to pop one open and take a swig. When I did, though, I kind of thought "ick." Is it that I've gone so long without beer (10 years) that I lost the taste for it? It seemed bitter to me. Oh well, no big deal. I never missed beer all that much anyway. Now if I can ever find gluten-free malted milk balls, I'll be in heavenly bliss!

I never had beer before going gf but I've tried Bard's and Redbridge and hated both. If anyone has suggestions for cooking with the 5 remaining bottles of Redbridge, please post. Instead, I like hard cider (Woodchuck Granny Smith is good) and Reed's Ginger Brew (alcohol-free). Whole Foods' caffeine- and corn syrup-free root beer isn't bad either (and I bet it would rock with vanilla bean fro yo).

Hi all you wonderful celiacs out there!!! I was just curious to know if there is any other type of beer that is similar to my dearly missed Guiness?? I was reading some of the postings & I saw there was one named,"toleration". Are there any other good dark beers that I may try??

If anyone knows the name of the pizza place in Kansas City I would love to know it! My grandma lives there and it now seems like she might be getting more visits from me;) Pizza with beer sounds so good!

If you live in Colorado, the Great Divide Brewing Company (Denver) makes a gluten free beer that is pretty good. I like it better than Red Bridge. Beau Jo's restaurant also has gluten/dairy free pizza.

I've found a great gluten-free pizza crust mix. The name is Chebe. They also have a great gluten-free bread mix. If you can't find it at your local natural food store, it can be bought online at glutensolutions.com. I think it's as good, if not better than crusts containing gluten!

Oh, I feel your pain!! Beer and pizza...mmmm...ready-made pizza's were so pricey (I'm talking to you, Amy's!) and the beer was non-existent...or expensive, and not any good (I'm talking to you, Bard's Tale!).

The Redbridge...yes, I think I cried when it finally hit the shelves. Now I can get it at the local beer store, Publix, Wal-Mart and even a gas station!

I empathize with the woman who said it was embarrassing, how much she drank when she found it!! I couldn't stop...like you said, it doesn't taste GF, it's actually GOOD! (and I was a porter/stout woman, pre-GF days).

For pizza crusts, I have found nothing beats the Namaste mix. It has this delicious herby flavour (and I will bake up smaller bits to use like pita bread).

Could someone tell me...if my Gluten free flour already has xanthan gum in it, do i need to add more xanthan gum in the recipe?I am cooking for a friend who cannot eat gluten;i know nothing about it!!! Thank you!

Karina, I love your site, and your recipes, thanks for sharing with us. I noticed a poster by the name of Carol in Ann Arbor area bought a pizza from a market there. I don't live to far from there and frequently go there. Is there anyway you can find out the name of the market and exact location for me? I'll keep my fingers crossed. Thanks Sharon

Hi, the Gluten-Free pizza place in KC is Waldo's at about 75th and Wornell. In Waldo, go figure. The pizza is greasy and delicious and they deliver! It's pricey, but so worth it. You can even get soy cheese if you are lactose intolerant as well. I've always hated beer, but missed pizza-oven pizza like crazy.

In Kansas City, the Gluten Free pizza at Waldo Pizza is awesome http://waldopizza.net/glutenfree.pdfThe crust is made by Olivia's Oven http://www.oliviasoven.com/ You may be able to order it. Waldo Pizza also has vegan pizza http://waldopizza.net/vegan.pdf I think it's the best pizza place in KC so if you are ever in KC you should check it out.

If the person from the Ann Arbor area ever checks back, there are two gluten free pizza options here. One is Stadium Market (a medium size pizza serving 2-3- carry out only) and the other is Sylvio's (individual size pizzas- dine in or carry out)

Both are good. I eat a pretty fair amount, so I find I am still hungry at Sylvio's ;)

Hi,I've just recently found that I am allergic to barley, malt, gluten and, of all things, chocolate, along with dealing with adrenal fatigue (very limiting to the diet). I was pleased to come across your site and read about the Redbridge and pizza. There is nothing that beats an ice cold beer after a day in the garden. At first I couldn't find the beer, but eventually found it and love it. Old Grist is another I came across on the way....not as good in my opinion. Now I look forward to a day in the garden and the cold beer that follows. Thanks for all of the information you provide in your site. I have learned a lot and am looking forward to trying out some recipies.

Wow!! i just read about this Redbridge Beer and the places in Kansas City that are gluten free! This is fantastic and i called my sister-in-law in Kansas City to let her know - she is gluten-free also. She already knew about Waldo's Pizza and said there are coupons for the place from time to time. She was thrilled to hear about Olivia's Oven and about the beer. Thanks so much for this info!! Guess i'll have to go visit her in KCity pretty soon!!stephanie

I bought a case of Hefewizen a couple of weeks ago. I hid it in the fridge in the garage as I have 2 over 21 sons that come around!Had one and then found out last week I am Gluten intollerant (blood test for Celiac results due this week). Are there any beers that are similiar to Hefe? Also, in my few days of GF shopping, I have seen frozen & shaped pizza dough, is it any good?

I agree, that is also what I miss. However, I found that the Chebe brand's pizza crust is pretty good, pretty easy and pretty quick to make. It has options on the back to make it dairy-free too, if needed.

Also, I have tried a couple beers, and New Grist is very good, but salty! It is a little hard to get used to but worth trying.

Wow you guy have gluten free beer in the US? I am really jealous now. The hardest part in Australia is finding a supplier that actually can supply or guarantee gluten free foods, I have found these guys http://www.oway.com.au and I have been buying from them for the past 4 months and I am quite happy to say the least. But let me know if there is anything else out there.

Redbridge is great. Even my husband liked it. Greenes beer - I tried the amber, was very good but high priced. $6 for a pint. A good treat every once in a while. I just heard about a pizza place here in the Phoenix area that has GF pizza and cant wait to try it. I cant have cheese but I can work around that. I miss pizza!I also found some potato vodkas that are good since I cant always have beer because of the carbs.

To Elizabeth from Kansas City, who posted her comment about the great pizza place in KC, I'd like to ask what is the name of the restaurant? My sister-in-law lives there and we visit once a year. I would love to try the restaurant, especially since it's downright impossible to find GF pizza in any restaurant where I live (Tokyo, Japan)!!

My old routine was to make pizza quite often, including for breakfast. I'd throw on bacon, eggs, roasted peppers, whatever I had in the fridge. Now I make it once in a while because of the pre involved. I'm looking forward to trying the recipe posted here using masa flour.

As for beer, I travel a lot, and when I am in Boston or NYC, I pick up some Green's. It is from Belgium. There are three varieties and all are great. A little pricey at $6 for a 20 ounce bottle. Also just found Bard's Tale in Boston, and I really like it. Had a few along with an Amy's frozen pizza last week in my hotel room.

BTW. Thanks, Karina for all the recipes. Your butternut chili was great! Next up is the brownies.

Hi Karina! I was a regular Redbridge drinker for a couple years. I confess I didn't really like it that much at first but got very accustomed to it after awhile. I still drink it occasionally but now I much prefer Bard's Tale Dragon's Gold. (I know another person said the exact opposite - we all have different tastes!) Anyway, the great thing is how nice it is to have more than one choice! Also I looked into the assertion someone made about Redbridge containing GMO ingredients. I found this link which suggests it may be a more complicated issue than it seems at first... http://www.brookstonbeerbulletin.com/category/health-beer/page/2/

BEER HAS BEEN MY QUESTI turned 21 in April this year and 3 months later was diagnosed with Celiac, tragic I know. I tried Toleration first. The name alone screams "I'm painfully gluten-free, please tolerate me", I dint even finish it. Next was the Bard’s, it was better but still less than desirable. Then was the New Grist, after which I knew I could survive. Later that month I tried Red Bridge and like others who have commented said it tastes like beer! I must be extremely fortunate because I have found New Grist or Red Bridge at all of the liquor stores I have tried. Who knew Duluth, MN was a gluten-free capital. I was recently out in New York City and went to a restaurant called Opus on the east side. I cannot rave about this place enough. Though expensive, they have salmon cakes and cheesecake and pasta and a new beer I hadn’t tried. It is called Greenway Endeavor beer and it’s the best thing that has happened to me. It comes it a larger bottle and if anyone knows how to import it let me know. I loved dark beers and this is dark. I poured it into the glass like one traditionally pours beer, down the side of the glass and it still had a giant head on it. It was beautiful so for those who are gf and crave dark beer, there is a beer for you, you just have to find it.

I must recommend Green's beer for those of you lucky enough to have it at your local whole foods. A Redbridge sixpack I'd share with friends but try to take my Green's and I'll slap your hand! They have 3 different flavors, too.

Thank you both for sharing this recipe. Saturday night is pizza night in our house. My French husband was rejoicing, for he thought this was the end to the tradition (as if!), but the rest of us were determined to make it work. Your recipe did it...victory and indulgence, we all had pizza and it was delicious!